


Unmasked

by pianomanblaine



Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux, Phantom of the Opera - Lloyd Webber
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Spooky Phantober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:08:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27137765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pianomanblaine/pseuds/pianomanblaine
Summary: What in heaven’s name had possessed her to take off his mask? Honestly, she had always believed that he wore the mask to hide his identity from her. Never had the thought crossed her mind that maybe he wore it to hide something else entirely.Written for Timebird84's Spooky Phantober 2020 Day 21 prompt: Fear
Relationships: Christine Daaé/Erik | Phantom of the Opera
Kudos: 42





	Unmasked

Her father had always told her that her curiosity would get her into trouble one day. As it turned out, he was right. What in heaven’s name had possessed her to take off his mask? Honestly, she had always believed that he wore the mask to hide his identity from her. Never had the thought crossed her mind that maybe he wore it to hide something else entirely. 

Her first reaction when she had revealed his face was to scream. Not because she was scared of what she saw – although admittedly, it really wasn’t a pleasant sight, it might even be called grotesque – but because it was so unexpected. He had called himself her Angel of Music, and she had imagined he had a face that befit that title, so when she realized that was far from the truth, she had been shocked, certainly, but not afraid. 

What did frighten her more than anything was his reaction. The moment his mask was removed he was on his feet, screaming at her like a madman. In all the time she had known him, he had never been this violent towards her. True, he had been a stern teacher and never hesitated to chide her if she wasn’t performing the way he expected her to, but he had always treated her with respect, never speaking harshly. How could that Angel be the same person as the one who was now chasing her around the room, calling her names and threatening her? 

She had never known fear like this before. Her heart was hammering in her chest, her blood pulsing rapidly in her veins as she tried to escape from him, but it was no use. There was nowhere to go, and with his tall, lithe frame he was faster than she was, stumbling over her dressing gown in her hurry to get away. 

She tried to make her way to the boat – although she had no idea what she would even do when she got there – but as she ran past him, he grabbed her by the arm with one hand.

‘Is this what you wanted to see?’ he roared at her, pulling away his other hand, which had until then been covering the distorted side of his face. Before she even had the time to respond, he threw her face first to the ground. For a while she just stayed there, motionless, her eyes closed, too scared to move a muscle. 

The seconds ticked by and nothing happened. The only sounds she could hear were the blood rushing in her ears, the Angel’s heavy breathing somewhere behind her and the steady dripping of water in the underground lake. Eventually, she found the courage to cast a glance at the man behind her. If he was going to hit her, she would at least see it coming. 

She expected him to be standing, towering over her, but instead he had fallen to his knees. When he noticed her watching him, he started slowly crawling towards her, dragging himself forward with one hand, the other back on his face, covering the mangled flesh there. He was talking now, but she couldn’t focus on what he was saying, fear still ringing in her ears. She only picked up a couple of phrases – ‘loathsome gargoyle’, ‘burns in hell’, ‘monster’ – his voice a dangerous growl booming through the room. She instinctively moved away from him, begging him with her eyes not to come any closer, and when he saw this, he froze, as if he was only now realizing that he was frightening her.

The rage that had previously been burning in his golden eyes suddenly disappeared, making room for a look of utter despair. He made a sound that almost sounded like a whimper, whispering her name like a plea before looking away from her. 

It was then that she finally understood. She had betrayed him. This was the man who had breathed new life into her voice, who had finally made her feel alive again after her dear papa’s passing, and she had repaid him by forcefully revealing the one thing he so desperately wanted to keep secret. She knew now that he was not an Angel, nor a Phantom, but a man of flesh and blood, who hid away from the world because he had no doubt encountered reactions like hers countless times before. 

She sat up on her knees and reached for the mask, which had landed on the ground along with her when he had thrown her down. The least she could do was hand it back to him, and she truly intended to do just that, but instead she gave in to the impulse to touch his shoulder. Although her touch was gentle, he flinched and jerked back immediately, and she couldn’t help but wonder when this man had last been treated with any kindness. 

‘Angel, please –‘

‘Don’t call me that,’ he growled. ‘Use my name if you must. It’s Erik.’

Erik. It seemed like such an ordinary name for such a unique man, but she kept the thought to herself. 

‘Very well, Erik,’ she replied in barely more than a whisper, as if afraid that she would anger him again if she spoke any louder. She thought she saw a shiver run through him as she spoke his name, but it must have been her imagination. 

‘Erik, I am so sorry.’

He finally looked at her then, although she could only see one eye as he was still covering the deformed side of his face with his hand. 

‘As well you should be. You should not have removed the mask. I’m sure you’ll have nightmares about this horrible sight for months to come.’ Some of the anger had returned to his one visible eye, although she couldn’t make out if it was still directed at her, or at himself.

‘That’s not what I meant, although I’m terribly sorry for that too.’ 

His eyebrow rose in confusion. 

‘I’m sorry for the way I reacted,’ she continued. ‘I should not have screamed like that. What I saw was not what I was expecting, but I could have handled my surprise better and I apologize.’

‘I don’t blame you. After all, who wouldn’t run away screaming from such a repulsive carcass as myself?’ he snarled, pulling his hand away to once again expose his deformity. It was clear that he was purposefully trying to scare her now. However, this time she was prepared for what she saw and it didn’t frighten her. 

When she didn’t run and didn’t look away, trying to keep a neutral expression, the jeering look on his face gave way to one of bewilderment.

‘Oh Christine’, he whispered, and the sparkle of hope that shimmered through in his voice was devastating, as if he couldn’t believe anyone could ever look at him without fear. She did hand him the mask back then, hoping he would in time understand that he didn’t need to hide from her anymore.

As soon as the mask was on again, he seemed to transform into another person. His commanding presence and graceful movement returned, and as he stood up, he was once again the Angel of Music who had lured her through her dressing room mirror with his intoxicating voice. 

‘Come, we must return,’ he said, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her to her feet, although his grip was not as hard and unforgiving as it had been before, ‘those two fools who run my theatre will be missing you.’


End file.
